Online advertising is certainly divisive, often disruptive and sometimes malicious for people browsing the internet, but conversely it supports publishers and the free online content that we have come to rely on.
While everyone has an opinion about these often-annoying ads that follow us as we browse or pop up when we try to read an article online, not all ads are created equal.
Privacy issues aside, users should be aware of an even bigger issue – malvertising.
All browsers offer ways to alter or remove ads, either by targeting technologies that are used to deliver them, URLs that are the source of the ad or by targeting behavioural characteristics.
Conversely, criminals are aware of the methods used to detect them and focus on creating ads that avoid detection.
The malicious code is then used to steal the user’s data or infect the device with ransomware or latent malware such as a RAT (Remote Access Trojan).
